Some employees of Johns Hopkins Hospital have hit the picket line in response to failed union negotiations.

Roughly 2,000 workers, most of whom are service and maintenance employees, began their protest at 6 a.m. Wednesday and vowed to continue nonstop until 6 p.m. Friday.

According to workers, the hospital failed to offer at least $14 an hour for every worker.

Local union SEIU 1199 claims workers represented by the union make so little that they must rely on public assistance for basic needs, WBAL-TV reports.

Hopkins Hospital promises business will move forward as usual despite the strike. The hospital says it is negotiating "in good faith" and is "working to reach a settlement that's fair to everyone."

Follow 1090 WBAL AM for ongoing reports from the scene.

Statement from Johns Hopkins Hospital:

"We want to assure our patients and their families that we are conducting business as usual at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The workers represented by the union are primarily maintenance and food service workers. They are approximately 2,000 of the nearly 20,000 people working at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, who include employees, medical staff and trainees. These union represented employees, like all of our employees, are important members of the Johns Hopkins team, but they are not involved in direct patient care. In the event of a strike, we have contingency staffing plans in place to assure no disruptions to our patients and their families. We are hopeful that continued good faith efforts towards negotiating will result in a contract that all parties feel is fair and equitable."